CrossFit 100| GLENDALE, WIhttps://crossfit100.com
Forging Elite FitnessTue, 22 May 2018 00:41:28 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6Sami’s Storyhttps://crossfit100.com/samis-story/
https://crossfit100.com/samis-story/#respondTue, 22 May 2018 00:41:28 +0000https://crossfit100.com/?p=20340From the moment I got on the phone with Sami, I was sure of one thing: girl is DRIVEN. She’s a pretty cut-to-the-chase, no BS kind of person, and with so much on her plate, she has to be. Sami’s in her senior year at The University of Iowa studying Human Physiology and Pre-Med. She’s graduating next month and will be returning home to place a lot of energy into studying for the MCAT, which she’s retaking in July with the hope of achieving a score that meets her high standards. We look forward to seeing her around at CrossFit 100 amidst her intense study sessions!

Growing up, were you always athletic?I played soccer until I was a Freshman in high school. I lost interest in it midway through high school, and that’s when I got into CrossFit – about seven years ago. What inspired you to make that switch? Why CrossFit? My family was (and still is) big into CrossFit, so I guess I kind of just got sucked into it. I enjoyed that it was more of an individual activity where I could focus on my own
progress.

What about the self-focus was appealing to you since you’d been involved in team sports for so long?
There’s always something in CrossFit that I can improve upon and I knew I could really focus on those things on my own. That aside, I like that the Workout of the Day (WOD) is different every day, so I wasn’t getting bored.

How were the first few workouts? How did you feel?
Oh, they were SO tiring! I was sore, but I figured out pretty quickly how much I enjoyed it… and that I could customize it to be whatever I wanted it to be. My goal wasn’t to build muscle, it was really just to be fit.

So if your goal was to be fit, I imagine your favorite movement is something very different than Ian’s, who is trying to build muscle.
Yeah – I love the conditioning – burpees, box jumps, anything that improves my agility. I guess I just identified a common misconception amongst those who do CrossFit – not everyone is there to build.

So coming from an angle that’s more toning- focused than building-focused, what challenges does CrossFit offer you?
For me, CrossFit challenges my mental strength. I know I can PR, but I know I first need to overcome my own self-doubt then do the work to get stronger.

Well, you kind of just unknowingly blew up a misconception I had about CrossFit. If you had to consciously debunk a misconception you know about, what would it be?
CrossFit is far less about competition (especially with others) than it is about community – encouraging others to improve and reach their goals.

Shifting gears, let’s talk about your life at school. What do you miss while you’re away?
I really miss being physically active. The community at CrossFit 100, the encouragement I get and feel when I’m there. It’s a great way to connect with people.

How do you feel about your younger siblings being involved in CrossFit now?
Initially, Mya and Ian had NO interest, but it’s been fun watching them totally switch their thinking on CrossFit. They’re definitely into it now.

How has CrossFit changed – if it has – who you are as a family?
CrossFit has really helped build our relationship. It’s not even just that we share a hobby – though, it’s fun that we have something in common – it’s that we’re encouraging each other.

You’ve heard the saying, ‘if you fail to plan you plan to fail.’ The truth is, if you are focusing on your nutrition, the key things you can do to set yourself up for success is to set aside some time to form a plan for the week. This include spending time shopping for healthy ingredients, planning your meals for the week, and prepping your meal staples.

Eating healthy never has to be repetitive or boring either! When you are starting out it can often be a challenge to figure out where to start or find healthy recipes. But the internet is full of plenty of healthy recipe resources to help inspire your weekly meal planning. In order to give you a head start, we compiled a list of some of our favorite recipe resources on this page.

At just 10-years-old, Lina is one of the youngest athletes in the CrossFit 100 family. Her refreshing perspective on the fit lifestyle, though, is something that we all need to be reminded of from time to time: “it’s just fun,” she shares. The very independent and very strong-willed 5th grader doesn’t take workouts too seriously, but her youthful enthusiasm about CrossFit shines through. We sat down with Marcela’s youngest daughter, Lina, to explore the facets of her experience.

When did you start coming to CrossFit 100?

My mom told me she wanted to teach me a lesson about two months ago. That lesson, we learned, were the basics of CrossFit. I wasn’t too excited about it at first, to be honest, but now I come almost every day during the week.

How did the first few workouts go for you?

The rest of my family has been doing [CrossFit], so I didn’t really mind. I was a little curious about it.

What do you find the most challenging about CrossFit?

The actual working out part. Squats are hard. Being a newb is also hard… and yeah, the 50 cal row – bike – run is definitely not my favorite.

What is your favorite?

Box jumps! Those are definitely my favorite.

What do you think is the most important part of coming to CrossFit 100?

Exercise.

Do you look up to your mom? If so, why?

One thing I really admire about my mom is that she’s so outgoing. My sister and I are really proud of her because of how far [CrossFit 100] has come and that she’s succeeding. Sometimes I wonder how she’s so motivated to do it because she’s up so early every day.

Do you feel like CrossFit benefits you more than just physically?

Yeah. Even though I just started here, I have a lot of fun. My mom’s been teaching me how to stay safe through the movements, so that’s good, too.

In the little amount of time you’ve spent here on a regular basis, what’s the most important thing CrossFit has taught you?

It helps me set goals.

Do you have specific goals in mind yet?

Not yet. I’ve had a chance to try a lot of different things here, so now I’m going to start thinking about what I want my goals to be. I’m not really worried about big goals, though. I’m just taking it slowly for now. Staying focused on staying safe and doing the exercises properly.

You probably hear a lot of other people’s goals while you’re here. Do you feel a sense of competition? Motivation, maybe?

CrossFit isn’t really a competing thing, even though a lot of people think it is.

Oh that’s interesting. Let’s talk about that a little bit. How would you describe the environment at CrossFit 100?

Well, you just do your own thing. You just come in and you just do it (your workout). People are around to encourage you. It’s fun when someone reaches a goal. We all cheer them on.

CrossFit can feel intimidating to someone who’s never done it. What would you tell that person?

CrossFit is a great way to make friends. We have a lot of fun here. I’ll be here to help you learn and support you – everybody here will. The people here always make me feel cared about. Once you make the decision to come, just take it step by step. Get comfortable with the movements first then decide what your goals are.

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach you movement, program intelligently, and keep you safe, it’s your responsibility as athletes to develop good training habits. Here is an overview of three great habits that will significantly enrich your training experience.

1. BE PROACTIVE WITH YOUR MOVEMENT PREP
Everyone needs to do a little personalized maintenance on their bodies. Movement prep before or after warm up can go a long way in keeping you fit and pain free, take advantage of the time you’ve got and start moving.

Warm-up
Row an easy 200-500m. Get your heart rate up a little and try to get a light sweat going.
Stretch/Foam Roll

Many of us know where our tightest areas are—they’re the ones that make it difficult to squat below parallel or press a barbell overhead. Spend a few minutes mobilizing and doing some soft tissue work (foam roller/LAX ball, etc.) on your “problem areas.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask a coach what you should be prioritizing and we’ll help you out.

2. LOG ALL OF YOUR WORKOUTS
Training without logging is like driving without a road map. You don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re going. Taking notes on each training session helps you track your progress and helps us make informed decisions about how to assist you in choosing weights and scaling movements. Each day should list some quantitative and qualitative notes about your training session. Here is an example:

You can track your workouts online. As coaches, we LOVE to read the details of your workout in the Comments section. It gives us a deeper perspective into your training and the programming in general.

3. START SLOW AND MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE
We take our training seriously at CrossFit 100 and with that comes with a good deal of responsibility. Our movement pool uses serious strength and conditioning exercises in order to develop broad, inclusive fitness. If we don’t treat these movements and workouts with respect, training plateaus and injuries are sure to follow. The best way to ensure your success and training longevity with us is by starting slowly and developing a rock-solid technical base. In fact, the first few months you start CrossFit, intensity should not be a significant concern. The movements are potent enough that just consistently performing them will create a favorable adaptation. After you feel really comfortable with most of our exercises and have a working knowledge of your weights, only then should you start ramping up the intensity.

Training with a lifelong perspective is incredibly important. Remember that you’re here to build yourself up, not break yourself down. Scaling workouts properly, listening to your body and checking your ego at the door will allow you to work out successfully for years to come. Most importantly, have fun with this stuff and enjoy the process.

It’s just before 6:00pm and twelve people are milling around the gym energetically awaiting their entry into the 2018 CrossFit Open. A brief pep talk from Marcela gets the group pumped. Six take their positions under the bar to start a series of toe-to-bar. The other six, judges, look on with clipboards, ready to mark each victory. I walk around the edges, observing, so as not to interrupt the CrossFitters’ laser focus. Judges cheer on every single rep with enthusiasm strong enough to make this a televised event.

Elena catches my attention. She’s feverishly thrusts her toes up to the bar. After eight reps, the noticeably fit, long-haired powerhouse returns to the floor and starts ten reps of dumbbell hang clean and jerks. But she powers through three reps of the wrong movement. It’s a setback, but now she’s pushing even harder. She quickly moves to a 12-cal. row to complete her first round of the ten she aims to complete. She’s got just under 18 minutes to go in this year’s Open, her fourth time competing in this particular event, and she’s well on her way to that goal.

The five-year CrossFit veteran seems to speed up as we get down to the wire. 3, 2, 1… and just in the nick of time, she does it. She completes 10 rounds for her team, The Walking Deadlifts. How does it feel? “Every day here, I feel accomplished,” she responds. Her mentality: ‘Get focused and just get it done.’